During machining, polishing, grinding, or other fabrication processes performed on a workpiece, the workpiece is typically held securely in place on a support fixture. This secure placement on the support fixture is typically accomplished by holding devices, such as suction cups, that securely hold one side of the workpiece onto the workpiece support fixture. This arrangement permits end effectors, cutters, or other machining devices to act upon another side of the workpiece without interference by the holding devices.
It is common for design of a part to be revised during the life cycle of the part, thereby entailing changes in the fabrication and processing of the part. It is generally more cost-effective to reconfigure the workpiece support fixture to accommodate several revised designs of a part than it is to procure a separate workpiece support fixture for each different revised part. It is also desirable to use a workpiece support fixture for fabrication of more than one part thereon, thereby increasing the return on investment in the workpiece support fixture. As a result, changes may be made to configuration of the workpiece support fixture to accommodate revisions to designs of parts fabricated thereon or to accommodate fabrication of different parts thereon.
Therefore, it would be desirable to design workpiece support fixtures that are reconfigurable. One currently known reconfigurable workpiece support fixture provides a base with a number of stations. Each station includes a clamp block, and a frame element of predetermined profile may be clamped in the clamp block in either of two orientations. Each frame element includes a number of suction cups with plumbing internal to the frame element. Suction to the suction cups of each separate frame element is controlled by a separate valve for each frame element. The several valves are provided on the base, and each separate valve is connected to the internal plumbing of its associated frame element. The workpiece support may be configured for a symmetric component by unclamping and rotating the frame elements through 180 degrees. The workpiece support may also be reconfigured for different profiles by selecting a set of appropriate frame elements from a library of frame elements.
Reconfiguring such a known workpiece support thus entails use of clamping blocks, complex frame elements with internal plumbing, a separate valve connected to the internal plumbing of each complex frame element, and a library of such complex frame elements. Fabricating such a complex workpiece support and a library of complex frame elements for different profiles is expensive. Moreover, reconfiguring such a known workpiece by unclamping and rotating frame elements, or retrieving a set of appropriate frame elements from a library of frame elements, and connecting internal plumbing of each frame element to its associated valve is time and labor intensive. Further, storage of a library of frame elements uses facility space for storage of unused fixture components, thereby preventing that facility space from being used for productive use.
Moreover, advances in manufacturing technology such as determinant assembly still entail stabilizing a workpiece on a workpiece support fixture. Determinant assembly is a method of self-indexing of detail parts to each other to create an assembly. By using determinant assembly, parts can be assembled with a minimum number of tools. However, the tooling and machinery that are used to accomplish determinant assembly have been complex and capital intensive.
The foregoing examples of related art and limitations associated therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.